Family History: Letter from Joseph Woollens to Mrs. Margarett Wherry (1864): 
Chester County, PA

Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Terry Mossop.

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Joseph Woollens Letter from Oaxaca, Mexico

Margarett Wherry, My Dear Sister,
Nearly four months back I mailed a letter to sister Rebecca from this place
and if she had received it, I trust I would have had an answer before this
time.  So I will now try again and hope for better luck from you.  The lines
I dispatched to Rebecca was a reply to a letter I received from Ralph
informing me of the death of our poor lamented mother.  I can never banish
the regret I feel for the loss of our poor dear old mother and the sorry
that I could not see her before she died after being so long absent but only
know that we must comely submit to the will of providence I enclosed two
likenesses of her in Rebecca's letter in still hope she has received them
yet you'll five more in this and please present one to poor old pop and if
he had not all ready got a likeness of mother this I am sure will be a great
consolation to him in Rebecca's letter I invited him to come out to Mexico
and spend the winter with me and for once in his life evade the rigors of a
Northern one, winter here throughout  is precisely like May with you and
very healthy but letters are so long on the road and so uncertain I expected
an answer before this advising me where to meet him in Vera Cruze as I had
it all arranged as Oaxaca is only about 8 days from Vera Cruze of pleasant
riding on horseback of about 30 miles a day.  The journey is not so
difficult as perhaps you may think yet very likely you all laugh at the
"ridiculous idea,"  "he so old - perhaps may shorten his days" more likely
to lengthen them and there is older men than him travels here how much I
would be delighted to see him in Oaxaca there is mules passing loaded with
goods nearly every day from the port of Vera Cruz my business has not been
so good of late on account of the war.  But there is a prospect of matter
being in a better state soon.  I wish the Americans would come and settle
this country I believe it will never be fixed until they do.  I hope the war
is nearly concluded but I cannot hear nothing weather the rebels still hold
out.  The French will not let newspapers pass from the states but I am told
letters can pass now from Vera Cruz to this place without molestation
consequently you have only to address my name to Oaxaca via Vera Cruze I
think I hear you still say  "why don't you come home Joe"  I only reply I
think I can do better here, yet for a little while longer - and now poor
mother is gone what is the particular hurry what could I do at home in truth
I am told that the war in your parts has put things into a bad state
generally - and when _____ _____ a little you may be sure I will pay you a
visit and I hope that before long.  But I am in great heart just at this
moment, customers are coming in and bothering just at this moment when I
wanted to write this letter without being bothered.  Yet at intervals in the
writing of these lines I have taken three likenesses and have already
received ten hard Mexican dollars for them in advance for they are not yet
finished - consequently I must close this scrawl run to the Post Office with
it before it closes and hurry back and go to work please write immediately
and inform me of all the family news and particular where is everybody and
tell me what is the condition of things generally _____ the war.
I hope you are all well and prospering and that the war has not affected
your neighborhood much.  Please give my best wishes to your beloved husband
my namesake and old school fellow for many a day and I well remember when I
was a boy I would sometimes go and stay with him for a week at a time and he
used to carry me about on his back or rather on his shoulders he can
describe the position one foot each side of his neck, you laugh perhaps but
that was actually before you was born so _____ old things.
With my best wishes for you and all your family's welfare give my love to
Pah and everybody else from still your bachelor brother.  Affectionately in
haste,
                                                              Jose Woollens
P.S - The likeness of poor mother I send and copies of a old spoiled
likeness the best I have I only hope you have got better, If not _____ _____
when I come home a going to enlarge one of the copies and have it _____
exactly like the one I left at home of Pop _____ as _____ are could be _____
beautifully by a skillful hand.
                                                              JW
I have not time to say more, your affectionate brother.